PART USED Dried Fruits

COMMON NAMES Kaali Mirch

EXTRACTION METHOD Steam Distillation

ORIGIN India

NOTE CLASSIFICATION Middle to Top Note

INTRODUCTION

Native to India's Malabar Coast and to Sri Lanka, Piper nigrum is a woody, climbing vine. It is also found in Vietnam, Malaysia, Madagascar and Brazil.

Black pepper is harvested when nearly ripe, fermented then dried at a moderately elevated temperature. It is composed of pulp and seeds together.White pepper is obtained with fully ripe Pepper fruits. The outer hull is removed, leaving only the seed. Usually the berries are soaked for about a week after fermentation.Green pepper is early-harvested, far from ripe and processed in a way to exclude fermentation. It is composed of pulp and seeds.

Based on harvest periods a and the post-processing method, all three Pepper types could in principle, be produced from the same plant.

HISTORY

Known and appreciated since Ancient Times, in the Roman Empire Pepper was an important product with a high market value. In fact, it was used as a monetary unit, notably to pay taxes and ransoms. In the 15th century, the Portuguese traded Pepper directly with Malabar Coast. The search for Pepper was Vasco de Gama's principal motivation when he set off an sailing explorations.